The invention relates to a connecting means used for connecting a reservoir for charging and discharging 2 or more fluids with pipelines and for the passage of each of the respective fluids, to a method using the connecting means for connecting the reservoir with the pipelines and for the passage of each of the respective fluids and to a reservoir used therein.
In the chemical and semiconductor industries, different fluids are conveyed by means of gas or pump pressure from reservoirs, accommodating these fluids, through pipelines to places where these fluids are required.
E.g., since large amounts of very pure chemicals are used for washing, photolithography, etching and other processes in the manufacturing of integrated semiconductor circuits or liquid crystal display elements, automatic feeding devices for chemicals are used, and manufacturers of chemicals for such automatic feeding devices normally provide chemicals filled into closed reservoirs.
Different methods, such as inserting a tube for the intake of fluids into the reservoir, connecting the tube by screws, using a coupler for easy connection, etc., are used for connecting the device with the reservoir; however, all of these methods require direct manual handling of the reservoir lid when the reservoir and the feeding device are connected.
E.g., reservoirs equipped with the above-mentioned coupler (quick connector) normally have 2 such quick connectors, one for the passage of a liquid and the other for the passage of a gas. These two components are usually fitted to a position off-center at the top face of the reservoir. Therefore, when charging the reservoir and when discharging a chemical, the position and the direction of the reservoir need first to be manually adjusted and fixed inside a clean booth. Further, for the connection with the pipeline, two quick connectors need to be fixed.
Furthermore, from the point of view of operational efficiency, there are considerable problems since automation is made difficult, and even manual operation requires a degree of skill because fine adjusting is required for reservoirs made of plastic, which is the case for most reservoirs, since the position of the connector components in relation to the shape of the reservoir differs slightly from reservoir to reservoir and because only extremely small tolerances can be admitted for the connecting portion since quick connectors, due to their performance, require a perpendicular insertion, etc.
On the other hand JP, A, 7-33196 discloses a method aligning a plurality of the fluid openings of the reservoir to the respective pipelines by means of sensor.
However, it is not efficient because the openings must be respectively aligned, and its position must be respectively detected.
Consequently, the object of the present invention is to greatly improve operational efficiency by providing a connecting means for simplifying the process of connecting a reservoir for charging and discharging a fluid with pipelines for conveying said fluids, a method for the passage of fluids using said connecting means and a reservoir used therein.